Falling to Earth
by Rosa Cotton
Summary: In reality and in dreams no one saved her when she fell. This time Wendy desperately hopes he will catch her. Bookverse, AU.


Disclaimer: _Peter Pan_, all related characters, places, and related terms belong to J. M. Barrie.

Author's Note: Inspired by, and heavily based on _Peter and the Sword of Mercy_ by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.

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Falling to Earth

Wendy does not remember the first time she fell: a toddler, tumbling head over heels down the stairs, with her mother's horrified voice filling the air. But the incident greatly impacted her. The girl hesitates always an instant before cautiously descending the stairs instead of fearlessly flying down them like her brothers. And she has grown wary of heights, worried of falling.

The girl can recall when she was six years old, bursting into her parents' bedroom in the middle of the night. Blabbering about her nightmare – walking the plank (bound and blindfolded) as pirates laughed and jeered; terrified as she fell, jerking awake after hitting the cold sea. Mother was concerned and comforting, Father exasperated. (Privately her parents had words, and _Treasure Island_ was never finished.)

In light of her father's disapproval over her "childish fears," she has learned to keep her uneasiness of heights and falling to herself. Thus she bits her tongue while riding the Ferris wheel. She wills herself to not look nervous when going down a staircase.

Nor, since turning ten over a year ago, has Wendy shared with anyone the recurring nightmare she's had. (Always bolting up in bed, brow covered in sweat, a cry stuck in her throat, heart racing.) Of sailing amongst the stars with John, Michael, a shadowy figure, a small ball of light. Of growing so sleepy she stops flying. Of her falling helplessly towards the dark ocean far below. Of playful laughter echoing somewhere above her. Of never discovering whether she hits the water or is saved before it is too late.

And now, heart straining against her ribcage, she glimpses out the door of the train car huge bright stars above, beside, and _below_. Her dream flashes through her mind. Swiftly her eyes dart between the advancing corpse-like figures and Peter crumbled on the floor whose staring over at her. In the shadows it is impossible for her to read his expression. Dread and hope twisting her stomach, Wendy swallows hard. There is no time to hesitate, to wonder, to dwell on her old fear.

"On the ship you told me to trust you," she states, staring intently back at the boy as she inches closer to the large chest filled with starstuff. "I'm going to trust you now." The girl lays a hand on the chest's lid.

"No! You can't…," Peter protests weakly, struggling to sit up.

Wendy does not wait to see or hear any more. With all her strength she pushes the chest forward to face the charging Skeleton and Ombra. She jerks the lid completely open, filling the car with brilliant yellow light, and then hurls herself out of the flying car.

A yell tears itself from her lips as she plummets through the night sky, stars blurring into bright zigzagging lines of light, the wind a deafening roar in her ears. She has no idea what is up or down, if she is tumbling in circles, how much time has passed, how close she is to earth…

_Please, please, please_, the word races in her mind. _Where are you?_

"**_Where?!_**" the word is a frantic scream.

"**_Here!_**" Wendy shouts, feeling the word become lost in the wind.

It doesn't. Suddenly arms surround her, "Oof!" escapes Peter as she bumps hard against him, and seconds later they are making a rough landing on a rooftop. For several long moments the girl lies still, breathless and trembling.

…He caught her.

"Are you all right?"

Opening her eyes, Wendy meets Peter's gaze. "I think so," she says quietly, slowing getting to her feet.

Nodding, the boy also stands and tilts his head back. Following his look, Wendy gasps silently at the sight of the train climbing through the sky. _It must be over two thousand feet in the air!_ she muses with a mix of amazement and fright.

"I'd better get up there. They'll never get down unless I close lid of the chest," Peter's voice brings her attention to him.

"I suppose so."

Before the boy can take off, Wendy impulsively lays a hand on his arm and quickly places a light kiss on his cheek. Startled, Peter blinks at her, wide-eyed.

"Thank you for catching me," she says. She blushes harder when he continues to simply stare at her.

A shrill tickling of bells from Tink snaps Peter back to the present, and he turns away from the girl, color mounting in his cheeks.

"I'll be back," he promises, then swiftly disappears into the sky.

"I hope so," Wendy whispers.

THE END


End file.
